GanttProject: Desktop Gantt Chart Planning for Project Teams

GanttProject is a desktop application that plans projects as Gantt charts, letting you break work into a task hierarchy, link those tasks with dependencies, and see the resulting schedule update as dates shift. You assign resources, set milestones, and compare planned dates with a saved baseline so slippage is visible early. The workflow is straightforward: create a project, list tasks with durations, drag bars on the timeline, then review the critical path and workload reports before sharing the chart. Because everything runs offline, work continues without a connection, and imports and exports keep the plan portable between teams, spreadsheets and other scheduling tools. It suits small and mid-sized teams that need structured planning without a heavyweight platform.

GanttProject stores each plan as a single portable project file, so schedules can be archived, emailed or versioned without a server. Calendars are configurable: working days, public holidays, weekend patterns and per-resource availability all feed into duration calculations, which keeps estimates realistic. Task columns can be customised, notes and colour labels added, and progress recorded as a percentage or as actual start and finish dates. Reports cover task and resource allocation views, and charts export to PDF, PNG, CSV or HTML for audiences that never open the project file itself. Groups that keep other parts of their stack self-hosted, for instance when they look at threema-web for internal chat, tend to appreciate the same local-first approach to their schedule data.

Benefits of Using GanttProject

The main benefit is visibility: a Gantt chart turns a list of tasks into a timeline where dependency chains, float and overloaded weeks are obvious at a glance. Schedule changes propagate automatically, so moving one task shows immediately which successors slip and whether a deadline is still reachable. Resource assignment exposes who is over-committed, and baseline comparison shows how far today’s plan has drifted from the version that was approved. The learning curve stays short because tasks, bars and links are edited directly on the chart, and the surrounding views, such as resource load, PERT diagram and task table, reuse the same data instead of demanding separate setup. Export options mean stakeholders receive a readable PDF, image or spreadsheet even if they never install anything. Custom calendars with holidays and part-time availability keep estimates honest, and per-task notes hold decisions and assumptions next to the work they affect. For teams that want disciplined scheduling without subscriptions or cloud lock-in, that combination covers most day-to-day planning needs.

GanttProject Software Information

• Developer: BarD Software s.r.o.
• Current Version: 3.3.3316
• File Size: 133 MB
• License: Open Source
• Language: en-US
• Downloads: Estimated 10K+
• Platform: Windows Desktop

System Requirements

• Processor: 2-core CPU
• RAM: 4 GB RAM
• Storage: 2 GB available storage
• Graphics / GPU: Not required

Visit the official GanttProject website

GanttProject Features

Direct Gantt Chart Editing

Tasks appear as horizontal bars that can be dragged, stretched and resized straight on the timeline, so reshaping a project takes seconds rather than a round of spreadsheet recalculation. Duration, start and finish dates, and completion percentage are edited inline, and the chart redraws immediately to reflect the revised plan.

Task Dependencies and Critical Path

Finish-to-start, start-to-start, finish-to-finish and start-to-finish links model how work actually follows on, and the Critical Path method highlights the chain of tasks that determines the earliest possible finish date. Slack is visible per task, so it is clear which delays genuinely threaten the deadline.

Resource Assignment and Load Chart

People and equipment are defined once as resources, then attached to tasks with an allocation percentage. A resource load chart shows who is over-allocated in a given week, which makes it practical to level work before a deadline slips rather than discovering the overload after the plan has been approved.

Baselines for Planned versus Actual

Saving a baseline freezes the approved schedule, and later chart overlays show whether tasks are running ahead of or behind it. Comparing planned against actual dates supports honest progress reporting and gives change requests a factual starting point instead of an opinion about how far the plan has moved.

Configurable Working Calendars

Working days, weekends, public holidays and individual exception days determine how durations are converted into dates, so a five-day task spanning a holiday week lands where it should. Resource-level calendars also accommodate part-time contracts and different regional holiday sets inside a single project.

Import and Export Interoperability

Existing plans can be imported from common project and spreadsheet formats, and finished charts exported to PDF, PNG, CSV and HTML. That keeps GanttProject workable in mixed environments where some colleagues want a printable chart, some need raw task data, and others maintain schedules in different tools.

PERT Chart and Task Table Views

Alongside the Gantt timeline, a PERT view presents the same tasks as a network of boxes and arrows, which helps when reasoning about sequencing and critical paths without scrolling a long chart. The task table view exposes custom columns and fields for fast bulk editing of large task lists.

Sharing and Multi-User Access

Projects can be published to a WebDAV location so several planners work from one shared schedule, while generated reports in PDF, HTML or spreadsheet form give reviewers a read-only snapshot. Task notes and colour labels carry decisions and risk flags next to the work they affect, keeping project context where it is needed.